Method and mold for forming ice objects



June 7, 1960 T. F. SHERBLOOM 2,939,299

METHOD AND MOLD FOR FORMING ICE OBJECTS Filed Oct. 24. 1955 INVEN TOR. filo/.445 1752152410047,

BYW W Thomas F. Sher-bloom, 6665 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, Calif.

Filed oct. 24, 1955, Ser. No. 542,1 1

2 Claims. (Cl. 62--355) This invention relates to a method and mold for forming ice objects and has particular application in the formation of decorative ice statuary and the like which is utilized at banquets, and similar functions to decorate the banquet table in a uniqueand impressive manner. Such ice statuary alsov has application in the decoration. of the windows of restaurants and the like.

While such ice'sculpture can be created manuallyfby a sculptor actually carving the desired representationfrom ablock of ice, the carving of the block of ice is a timeconsuming task and in many localities there are not available artists of sufficient skill to provide ice statuary to the restaurant and hotel trade.

Therefore, attempts have been made in the past to create such ice statuary by the use of molds formed from metal, or the like, and defining cavities configured to represent the shape of the object to be molded. In the prior art utilization of such molds it has been necessary to place the mold in a can, such as the typical can used in forming blocks of ice, the mold and the can being filled with water and the can subsequently being immersed in a brine tank. I

After the water in thecan has frozen, simultaneously with the water in the interior of the mold, the can is removed from the brine tank and the ice formed about the mold must be first chipped away to expose the mold and to permit the removal of the statuary from the interior thereof. Exemplary of the prior art teachings is my Patent No. 2,545,592 wherein is disclosed a method of forming ice molded figures by the utilization of a split moldadapted to be immersed in a can. and which is sub sequently disposed in a brine tank. However, the apparatus necessary for the practice of prior art methods has been relatively cumbersome and has precluded the adoption of these methods by relatively small restaurants,

hotels and the like.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a method and mold for forming ice objects which can be readily utilized by individual hotels and restaurants and which does not entail the use of large brine. tanks customarily found in large metropolises and not available in smaller cities and towns.

The necessity for using the can filled with water in conjunction with the prior art molds has arisen because of the fact that all molds have relatively constricted areas of small dimensions and these relatively constricted areas would freeze immediately if the mold were directly immersed in the brine tanks without first suspending them in cans of water which are then immersed in the brine tanks. Since the water in the cans freezes inwardly at a uniform rate about the molds, the premature freezing of the liquid within the molds at the constricted areas thereof is eliminated. However, when the freezing process is accomplished the large body of ice formed about the molds must be chipped away and removed prior. to the removal of'the statuary from the interior of the mold.

Another object of my invention is the provision of' a mold for freezing ice objects whichincludes amold cavity ted States Patent sion of the mold and the insulating medium encompass ing the same, in a freezing medium to createthe molded.

immersed. and thus there is no necessity for chopping a block of ice away from the exterior of the mold once the freezing process has been accomplished.

In addition, the mold can be suspended in a brine tank equivalent in dimensions to the can previously utilized and suspended in a large brine tank and thus it is possible to provide a plurality of molds and a brine tank of sufficient size to accommodate any one. of the molds to small hotels and restaurants or to hotels and restaurants.

in small cities or towns for their individual use at a. relatively moderate price- An additional object of my invention is the provision.

of a mold of the aforementioned character which is constituted by a plurality of-mold sections which, together,.. define a mold cavity of the desired configuration, eachv of the sections being provided with an insulating, chamber containing a mass ofinsulatingmaterial- A further object of my invention is the provision of a mold of the aforementioned character wherein the. thick-. ness of the material in the insulating chambers of .the] individual sections of the mold is inversely proportional to the dimensionsof the. mold cavity constituted by said.

An, additional object of my invention is. the provision.

ofia method of forming a molded ice Object. which includes the steps of filling amold cavity with a liquid susw ceptible to freezing, the application to. the exterior of the.

moldjof an insulating medium and: the subsequentim-merice object. a

Other objects and advantages of my invention willbe.

apparent from the followingspecification and the accom-C, panying, drawing which is for the purpose. of illustration.

only and in which:

Fig. 1 is a utility view showingthe methodoffimmersing a mold constructed. in accordancewith. the. teachings.

of'my invention in abrine tank;

,Fig. 2 isa perspective view showing ;a.;m olded. ice;

object;.

Fig. 3, is a perspective view showing a plurality of.

mold sections constituting the mold of myinvention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showingthe mold sections.- joined in operativerelationship with each; other;-

Fig. 5 is a vertical, sectional view'ofv the. mold taken.

on the brokenline 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is an. enlarged, fragmentary view. showingthegasket and fastening, means associated with the mold sections. of my invention.

Referring to thedrawing and particularly toxFigs. l-ithereof, 1 show a mold 10 constructed in accordancewith) the teachings of my invention andincouporated in. a:

housing 12 which is constituted by a plurality of mold sections 14' adapted; to be operatively'connectedbyf3S:'-

figuration, in the present embodiment of my invention, but it is, of course, not intended that there be any limitaa tion whatsoever as to the external configuration ofth'e housing 12'and themold sections 14. The moldsections 14 can befabricated from any rigid or semi-rigid ma- ?atented June 7, 1960 COD- . the interior wall 20 thereof, or an inert terial, such as plastic impregnated fiber glass, plastic, metal, or hard rubber.

Each of the mold sections 14 incorporates an insulating chamber 18 whose exterior wall is constituted by the exterior wall of the section and 'whose interior wall. is configured,,as at 22,'to define a portion of the shape of a molded article 23, best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing'. '1

[When the mold sections 14 are joined. inoperative relationship with can other by the fastening means 16, a mold cavity'24 is defined by the juxtaposed interior walls20 of the mold sections 14, as best shown in Fig. 5

of the drawing. The mold cavity 24 is characterized by the fact that at different points within the interior thereof the dimensions of said cavity are relatively small and constitute restrictions in said cavity, while at other points the dimensions of 'the'cavity 24 are relatively large.

This is exemplified in Fig. 5 of the drawing wherein the bell segment 26 of'the cavity 24 is relatively large and wherein certain other portions 28 of the cavity 24 are'restricted and relatively small. In order to provide for the uniform freezing of a liquid disposed within the mold cavity 24, there is deposited in the insulating chambers 18 of'thej sections 14 of the mold a mass 30 of insulating materialf which can be constituted by rock w'ool,polystyrene, fiber glass, or the like. In some applications it may be possible to depend upon the insulating effect of a vacuum created between the exterior wall of each of the mold sections 14"a'nd gas can be sealed theiindividual' insulating chambers 18. In a mold constituted by the interior walls alone were to be deposited in a brine tank 34, such as that shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, practically immediate freezing" of the liquid in the constricted sections 28 of the mold would take place, preventing free circulation of the fluid in the interior of the mold and the creation of a molded object 23 characterized by the absence of bubbles or inclusions therein. Such premature freezing is particularly critical where the intermeditate, restricted portions 28 are disposed between larger areas in the mold and the premature freezing of said restricted portions of the mold cavity 24 prevents free flow of liquid between the larger jportions of the cavity 24; Therefore, it was necessary in priorart methods to deposit the molds in the can full of water prior to immersing them in the-brine solution 36 in the brine tank 34. 5

However, 'inthe present embodiment of my invention the'insulating chambers 18 and the mass of insulating material deposited therein prevent the premature freezing of the fluid in the mold 10 since the restricted areas 28 of the mold cavity 24 are surrounded by a greater mass of insulating material 30 than are the-larger dimensioned portions thereof such as the bell portion '26 of'the mold cavity 24. Thus, when the mold 10 is deposited in the'brine tank 34, the freezing of the fluid within the mold cavity 24 is initiated in those portions of the mold, suchas the larger dimensioned bell portion 26, which are least insulated and is prevented in the rest-ricted portions '28 which are most completely insulated. Thus, the freezing of the fluid within the mold cavity 24 resilient strips 46 constituting the fastening means 16 to the contiguous flanges 40 thereof. Themold sections 14, when so fastened together, are isolated from bine the ice from which it is molded. The molds 10 are disposed in the bine 36 in a brine tank 34 and the brine circulated thereabout until the freezing of the object 23 within the mold 10 has been accomplished.

After freezing is complete, the mold 10 is removed from the brine tank 34 and permitted to stand a sufficient time to slightly melt the molded object and thus permit the mold sections 14 to be released therefrom after the removal of the fastening means 16 from operative relationship with the flanges 40 of said mold sections Although the brine tank 34 is shown in Fig. 1 as adapted for the reception of a plurality of molds forsimultaneous freezing, it is within the concept of my invention to provide a" relatively small brine tankof a quasi-portable nature which can be readily installed by a small restaurant or hotel and which is adapted for the reception of only one mold. Therefore,'the formation of molded ice objects of the character of the molded object 23 shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing becomes feasibleby organizations and in localities where such molded ice'objects'have not been previously available.

I claim as my invention:

'1. In a die for creating a molded ice object, the combination of: a housing constituted by a plurality of sections, each section including an outer wall and an inner wallspaced from said outer wall to define'an insulation receiving chamber, said inner walls constituting a mold to define a portion of the shape of an ice object to be formed thereinjan insulating body permanently disposed in the chamber of each of said sections and in continuous engagement with said inner wall; fastening means for joining said sections in operative relationship with each I otherto juritapose, the innerwalls of said sections .and to define a cavity for the reception of fluid to be frozen; andsealing means interposed between said sections for isolating said cavity from a surrounding body of refn'g- 'erantin which said die is immersed.

2. Ina mold for forming ice objects, the combination ofg a moldbody for forming a three dimensional object constituted by a plurality of sections, each sect-ion incorporating an insulating chamber the inner wall of which is. constituted by a mold defining aportionof the shape progresses inwardly'toward the center of the mold cavity and premature freezing of the fluid located in the restricted portions-28 of themoldcavity 24 is prevented.

'Each of the mold sections 14 is provided with a contiguous' peripheral flange 40 and in one of the flanges there is installeda resilient sealinggasket 42 which engages 1 the adjacent surface of the other contiguous flange when elongated resilient strips 46 formed from stainlesssteel or the like and constituting the fastening means 16 are slid over the contiguous flanges 40 to maintain the mold section 14 in operative. relationship with each other.

I In utilizing the mold 10 and practicing the method of my invention, I first join the mold sections 14in operative relationship with-each other by applying the elongated of said object and having an angularlyextending fastener engageable portion thereupon; sealing means mounted in operative relationship with one of saidsections and engageable with the otherof said sections; a body of insulating material permanently disposed in' the chamber of each of said sections and in continuous engagement with said inner wall; and fastening means engageable with the angularly extending fastener engageable portions of said sections to maintain saidsections in operative relationship 'withQe-ach other and to urge saidsealingmeans onsaid one s 'ection into engagement with the other section to prevent infiltration of a surrounding fluid into the interior mold defined by the juxtaposed innerwalls ofsaidsections.

f fReferencesC itedin the fileof. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 489,387 I 1,884,428 Warner Oct. 25, 1932 2 ,221,694 Potte'r Nov. 12, 1940 (Other references .on following page) Muller Ian. 3, 1893 UNITED STATES PATENTS Ford Apr. 27, 1943 Mallard July 30, 1946 Clum Sept. 3, 1946 Synnestvedt Feb. 11, 1947 Brennan Apr. 8, 1947 Bower Feb. 21, 1 950 Sherbloom Mar. 20, 1951 6 Kappel Dec. 11, 1951 Blackburn Feb. 5, 1952 Leichtm-an et al. Nov. 18, 1952 McQua-id Mar. 24, 1953 Mason May 4, 1954 Shagaloff Sept. 13, 1955 Cole Feb. 28, 1956 Olson Dec. 10, 1957 

